More reading

This section features some selected resources on virtue education if you want to dig deeper.  The selection has avoided some of the (excellent) academic resources and focused on the books and websites that might be most appreciated by a general readership.

Books

Character and Virtue in Theological Education (Marvin Oxenham).  This is the book written by the author of this site.  It is written especially with a context of theological education in mind, so if you are a teacher or student in a theological college, this is the book for you.  It is written as an academic epistolary novel, making it easy and engaging to read.

The Road to Character (David Brooks).  This is a popular bestseller written by a New York Times columnist.  It deals with the importance of character and virtue and digs deeper into a number of virtues like self-examination, self-conquest, dignity and love.

After you Believe (N.T. Wright).  The author of this book is well known in Christian circles.  Here he writes to those in the church who ‘feel they have lost their way’ and suggests that the recovery of character and virtue is the way forward. Featuring some solid exegetical work in key Bible passages.

The Character of Virtue – Letters to a Godson (Stanley Hauerwas).  It is notable that one of the most important Christian theologians today has written so much about virtue.  Here is a refreshing look at the virtues in the words of a godparent to his godchild. These reflections are ‘intimate and luminous’.

Tolkien’s Ordinary Virtues (Mark Eddy Smith). Virtue is a central feature in many great books, movies and series.  Here is an inspiring example of how to ‘read’ the great works of Tolkien through the lens of virtue.  Read this, and you will never read a novel or watch a movie again without noticing virtue.

Education with Character (James Arthur).  This book is a little more academic, and is written especially with education in mind.  It is well worth the effort however, as it provides a solid foundation to the world of virtue education.

Websites

• The Virtue Blog.  A fantastic collection of podcasts on character and virtue education.
• The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtue.  A place to find some of the richest resources and initiatives around character and virtue.  Operating out the University of Birmingham.
• Character Education and Theological Education.  The blog of the author of this site. Specifically focused on theological education.
• Educating for Intellectual Virtues.  A specific focus on intellectual virtues such as curiosity, open-mindedness, and intellectual courage.  Hosted by Loyola Marymount University.
• The Virtues Project.  A global grassroots initiative, aiming to inspire the practice of virtues in everyday life, sparking a global revolution of kindness, justice, and integrity in more than 100 countries.
• The Self, Motivation and Virtue Project. A 3-year research initiative to fund cutting-edge scholarship on virtue and moral development, with a special focus on exploring new ways of measuring virtue and how it develops in humans.

Short courses

If you are a theological educator, there are several short courses on character and virtue applied to contexts of theological education that can be found on the ICETE Academy.

There is much more out there.  Simple key word searches for ‘virtue’, ‘vice’, ‘character education’ or ‘moral education’ will yield thousands of results. If you come across key resources that might be beneficial to the readers of this site, please send them to contact@virtueducation.net